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Package Deal
Praise for Package Deal:
"I love this book - it's an incredibly funny, feel-good page-turner." Dorothy Koomson, bestselling author of My Best Friend's Girl
"This is the Brits abroad in all their glory. It made me laugh out loud." Simon Nye, creator of hit TV series Men Behaving Badly
***As featured in The Guardian.***
At first glance, it seems to Mia that the occupants of the neighbouring apartments are a typical bunch of Brits abroad – loud, embarrassing, to be avoided. But then she wasn’t there to socialise with other holidaymakers. She had come to Kefalonia to pay someone a surprise visit.
Meanwhile, her neighbours, young lovers Jo and Nathan are looking forward to two weeks of sun, sea and sex, while bosom buddies Caz and Babs are leaving the kids behind to celebrate their divorces over as many ouzos as they can pack into a fortnight. Frank and Margaret are making one last attempt to salvage their forty-year marriage, while gay meditation guru Shantee has come to find serenity in solitude. Lads-on-the-loose Craig and Steve are on a mission to bed as many babes as possible, while a miserable Simon is on his honeymoon – without his bride. And then there’s local heartthrob Dimitri, who will do whatever it takes to escape the very same paradise his guests have been dreaming of.
They each have a suitcase full of expectations, but after two weeks together, no one is who they first seemed to be, and no one’s holiday turns out quite how they imagined…
"I love this book - it's an incredibly funny, feel-good page-turner." Dorothy Koomson, bestselling author of My Best Friend's Girl
"This is the Brits abroad in all their glory. It made me laugh out loud." Simon Nye, creator of hit TV series Men Behaving Badly
***As featured in The Guardian.***
At first glance, it seems to Mia that the occupants of the neighbouring apartments are a typical bunch of Brits abroad – loud, embarrassing, to be avoided. But then she wasn’t there to socialise with other holidaymakers. She had come to Kefalonia to pay someone a surprise visit.
Meanwhile, her neighbours, young lovers Jo and Nathan are looking forward to two weeks of sun, sea and sex, while bosom buddies Caz and Babs are leaving the kids behind to celebrate their divorces over as many ouzos as they can pack into a fortnight. Frank and Margaret are making one last attempt to salvage their forty-year marriage, while gay meditation guru Shantee has come to find serenity in solitude. Lads-on-the-loose Craig and Steve are on a mission to bed as many babes as possible, while a miserable Simon is on his honeymoon – without his bride. And then there’s local heartthrob Dimitri, who will do whatever it takes to escape the very same paradise his guests have been dreaming of.
They each have a suitcase full of expectations, but after two weeks together, no one is who they first seemed to be, and no one’s holiday turns out quite how they imagined…
357 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
41 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Tasha Harrison
7 books14 followersI write comedy for kids and young adults. Clementine Florentine (UCLan 2022) is a middle grade comedy with a punk & poetry flavour, and The Thing About Lemons (UCLan 2023) is a YA romcom set in the French countryside in summertime. Another teen romcom is in the pipeline, so watch this space…
My self-published novels aren't currently available for purchase, although they might return, refreshed and updated, at some point in the future.
I live on the south coast of the UK, with my husband, two children and an over-excited Labrador called Arnie.
My self-published novels aren't currently available for purchase, although they might return, refreshed and updated, at some point in the future.
I live on the south coast of the UK, with my husband, two children and an over-excited Labrador called Arnie.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 12, 2019
The book started off great. Lots of different characters off on a package holiday where they all meet. All very different personalities mixed in the one place. I was enjoying it. But sadly it went downhill and became very monotonous. Had really wanted to see how it ended so forced myself to carry on. But was even more disappointed by the ending
January 5, 2015
This is the second book of Tasha Harrison’s that I’ve read, the first being ‘Hot Property’. I loved this book just as much as the first for its portrayal of real-life characters who don’t descend into stereotypes, its humour and great storyline. The book is filled with typical characters that anyone could meet on a package holiday but it’s the way that they interact that is so brilliantly done. If you’re looking for a light read that isn’t ‘fluffy’ then this is for you. Of course, it also has the added advantage of being set in Greece, a country the author evidently knows well from the snippets of language and culture that appear in the book. Can’t wait to read the next one.
October 13, 2015
Loved this book! It was the perfect sun lounger companion in Corfu. Set on the island of Kefalonia it's the story of a group of British holidaymakers and their antics abroad. I really liked the characters and am pretty sure I've met a few in my time. It was funny with real life more serious issues added in. Would recommend!
June 19, 2013
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this and how drawn in I became.
February 8, 2016
Enjoyable holiday read, I enjoyed dipping into everyone's lives for a couple of weeks and how everyones experience changes their lives in the space of a couple of weeks
October 9, 2014
I really, really enjoyed this book but was disappointed with the ending :(
October 6, 2015
Loved it!! All the typical people you see on holiday casting aside their lives for a few days... or are they? Tangled webs which get intermingled. A really good , enjoyable read.
December 2, 2012
This book took me ages to read and nothing really happens . glad it was freee
July 16, 2017
This book was a good, fun read. I thought it would have a little more interaction within all the different characters and I would've loved more of a fun in the sun, party atmosphere. On that aspect, it was a little bit of a disappointment but it was overall a good book.
April 29, 2019
A nice light-hearted look at Britons on holiday.
February 1, 2021
A good summer holiday read to read in the winter!
April 25, 2012
Imagine yourself arriving at your holiday destination (which you booked as a package deal) and realising that the motley bunch on the coach with you are to be your "neighbours" for the next week, like it or not. Such is the position that the book's hero, Mia, finds herself in when she opts to holiday solo in Kefalonia. It seems a strange thing to do - turn down the invitation of friends to join them on holiday, and to go somewhere completely different alone - but dentist Mia has a genuine motive, and one that fills her with anger, apprehension and bitterness. Things aren't helped when she is forced to live in close proximity with such characters as Caz and Babs - the overweight, Essex-girl forty-somethings who never say anything quietly; Craig and Steve - the football shirt "chav"-type duo who hope for great things in Greece; Margaret and Frank - the couple in their sixties who are on holiday celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary, before things start going awry; Simon - the jilted bridegroom who decides to go on his honeymoon to Kefalonia on his own and bore everyone with his woes; as well as Nath, Jo and Shantee - in which a very fiery love-triangle starts up. "Looking after" them all is the Greek adonis Dmitri, travel-rep Nikki, and Marie the nurse - whose services are required more than once.
It's a story which is humorous, compelling, cringeworthy and tragic as one by one it becomes apparent that each individual has an "issue" of some kind - some of these only being taken seriously after dramatic events. The characters are easy to engage with - I personally couldn't abide Caz and Babs, nor Craig and squint-teeth Steve, but yet felt huge sympathy for the annoying Simon and the trying-so-hard Frank.
Very well written Tasha!
It's a story which is humorous, compelling, cringeworthy and tragic as one by one it becomes apparent that each individual has an "issue" of some kind - some of these only being taken seriously after dramatic events. The characters are easy to engage with - I personally couldn't abide Caz and Babs, nor Craig and squint-teeth Steve, but yet felt huge sympathy for the annoying Simon and the trying-so-hard Frank.
Very well written Tasha!
October 19, 2013
Holiday shenanigans which were a bit predictable but nonetheless an enjoyable and humorous read.
''At first glance, it seems to Mia that the occupants of the neighbouring apartments are a typical bunch of Brits abroad – loud, embarrassing, to be avoided. But then she wasn't there to socialise with other holidaymakers. She had come to Kefalonia to pay someone a surprise visit.
Meanwhile, her neighbours, young lovers Jo and Nathan are looking forward to two weeks of sun, sea and sex, while bosom buddies Caz and Babs are leaving the kids behind to celebrate their divorces over as many ouzos as they can pack into a fortnight. Frank and Margaret are making one last attempt to salvage their forty-year marriage, while gay meditation guru Shantee has come to find serenity in solitude. Lads-on-the-loose Craig and Steve are on a mission to bed as many babes as possible, while a miserable Simon is on his honeymoon – without his bride. And then there’s local heartthrob Dimitri, who will do whatever it takes to escape the very same paradise his guests have been dreaming of.
They each have a suitcase full of expectations, but after two weeks together, no one is who they first seemed to be, and no one’s holiday turns out quite how they imagined…''
''At first glance, it seems to Mia that the occupants of the neighbouring apartments are a typical bunch of Brits abroad – loud, embarrassing, to be avoided. But then she wasn't there to socialise with other holidaymakers. She had come to Kefalonia to pay someone a surprise visit.
Meanwhile, her neighbours, young lovers Jo and Nathan are looking forward to two weeks of sun, sea and sex, while bosom buddies Caz and Babs are leaving the kids behind to celebrate their divorces over as many ouzos as they can pack into a fortnight. Frank and Margaret are making one last attempt to salvage their forty-year marriage, while gay meditation guru Shantee has come to find serenity in solitude. Lads-on-the-loose Craig and Steve are on a mission to bed as many babes as possible, while a miserable Simon is on his honeymoon – without his bride. And then there’s local heartthrob Dimitri, who will do whatever it takes to escape the very same paradise his guests have been dreaming of.
They each have a suitcase full of expectations, but after two weeks together, no one is who they first seemed to be, and no one’s holiday turns out quite how they imagined…''
April 17, 2012
A really fun, sunny holiday romp!
The plot follows a group of Brits abroad in Kefalonia taking in their stereotypical behaviour and turning it into an adventurous romp. It brings together the fun of Carry On films without the cheesy jokes or the sexist behaviour (well, apart from a few characters) and a huge helping of soap opera.
However, as with all the best ‘light-hearted’ reading this is more complex than it appears. Harrison has 12 main characters, all with excess baggage and a life-changing journey to complete in two weeks. She handles this well and drip feeds the information as we need it without it becoming frustrating.
My only criticism is that the characters socialise with each other sooner than you would expect; especially for Brits, but this interaction fuels the plot and is easily forgivable.
Summer holiday reading doesn’t get much better than this as you will find yourself snooping on your fellow holiday makers to sniff out scandals. If you find yourself reading this on a dull, grey day in Blighty you might find yourself researching a few holiday deals (while praying that you will not be mixing with a group quite like this).
The plot follows a group of Brits abroad in Kefalonia taking in their stereotypical behaviour and turning it into an adventurous romp. It brings together the fun of Carry On films without the cheesy jokes or the sexist behaviour (well, apart from a few characters) and a huge helping of soap opera.
However, as with all the best ‘light-hearted’ reading this is more complex than it appears. Harrison has 12 main characters, all with excess baggage and a life-changing journey to complete in two weeks. She handles this well and drip feeds the information as we need it without it becoming frustrating.
My only criticism is that the characters socialise with each other sooner than you would expect; especially for Brits, but this interaction fuels the plot and is easily forgivable.
Summer holiday reading doesn’t get much better than this as you will find yourself snooping on your fellow holiday makers to sniff out scandals. If you find yourself reading this on a dull, grey day in Blighty you might find yourself researching a few holiday deals (while praying that you will not be mixing with a group quite like this).
July 4, 2013
A light easy read about British holidaymakers in Greece - the only bit I didn't believe was the romance between Mia and Dimitri, he fell in love with her over the course of a week or so when they didn't really have that many interactions.
I didn't enjoy this as much as Tasha Harrison's other books - it was a tad boring and predictable.
I didn't enjoy this as much as Tasha Harrison's other books - it was a tad boring and predictable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2013
A light and enjoyable holiday read. The main character is Mia who ends up with a coachload of holiday makers, some of whom really shouldn't be let out at all, let alone loose abroad. This is a story of Brits abroad, laughter and romance. Good characterization and an interesting storyline and some unexpected twists and turns as well.
January 5, 2016
This book made me giggle as several of the characters are like people you think you’ve met before on holiday. It was fast-paced and fun but a few less light-hearted moments contributed to the realism of a true holiday experience.
August 2, 2012
A little bit predictable and fluffy in places, but generally a good book. As it was free on Kindle even better!!
August 21, 2012
An enjoyable easy read & frequent laugh out loud moments!
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October 18, 2012Amazon Freebie 10/17/2012
October 29, 2012
Great book that is set in Greece. The descriptions made me want to go on a trip there. Great characters. I liked that there were more than a couple to keep me entertained.
November 24, 2012
Great read, lovely characters and storyline. Very keen to go to Kefalonia having read this. Thoroughly recommend!
March 28, 2020
A light holiday read. Fun characters who bring a lot of live to the storyline.
August 19, 2012
An ok book... Too predicrable
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews